Smart ring allows users to hear and talk through their finger

Work & Lifestyle

The ORII wearable allows users to take calls, send quick messages and access voice assistants with a simple touch on their ear.

Start-up company, Origami Labs, is currently fundraising on Kickstarter for their ORII smart ring that gives users full control of their smartphone from their finger. The device blends Bluetooth with bone conduction technology to allow the user to take phone calls, listen to music or messages, access Siri or Google Assistant, simply by touching the ear with the finger wearing the ring.

Wearable technology is nothing new, and some companies have even produced similar smart rings – like the Ringly, for example – but the ORII’s functionality is something rather unique. The bone conduction uses physical vibration to send sound from the ORII along the finger to the ear, meaning that background noise cannot interfere with the quality of the audio and no-one else can hear it either.

There’s a companion app for the smartphone that allows the user to filter the amount of notifications that gets sent through to the ORII, and Origami Labs are already looking at advancements to the system. These include additional features for the visually or hearing impaired and an upgraded voice assistant platform that listens to the conversation passively and makes recommendations based on key words.

At the time of writing, the Kickstarter campaign still has 7 days to go and has received an impressive USD 232,000 from over 1,500 backers.

Other inventive smart devices include the smart wallet that comes with GPS tracking, a camera, battery charger and Wi-Fi, and the bra that can detect the physical changes associated with breast cancer is another smart example. What other useful device could improve our smart living?